Three years after Cole and Zanab’s Love Is Blind drama, she just revealed her new man
He's seven years younger than her
Zanab Jaffrey is really in a whole new era, because while Love Is Blind season three gave us one of the messiest break-ups in the franchise (and yes, we’re still talking about the Cuties), Zanab has quietly been living her life off-camera… and apparently, off the apps too.
Now, she’s sharing a sweet, grown-up update that feels less “Netflix reunion chaos” and more “rom-com montage.” If you’ve ever needed proof that reality TV heartbreak isn’t the end of the story… this is your sign to keep reading.
It’s been three years since Zanab and Cole’s drama
If you watched season three in real time, you’ll remember Zanab and Cole Barnett’s relationship was never short on tension, from mismatched communication styles to that pool-party moment that had people clutching their pearls. But everything truly detonated around the wedding and reunion.
At the altar, Zanab said no and delivered a speech that framed Cole as someone who chipped away at her confidence.
Then the Love Is Blind reunion happened, and the cast (and the internet) basically split into two camps.
The flashpoint was the infamous “Cuties” moment: Zanab described a situation where Cole commented on her eating right before dinner, which she experienced as controlling and hurtful.
Cole, meanwhile, seemed blindsided and insisted he never intended to shame her and asked production to roll the footage.
Netflix later shared Zanab’s perspective on why that moment hit so hard for her, explaining it wasn’t just about two tiny oranges, but how cumulative comments can land when you’re already feeling sensitive in a relationship.
The actual clip (released after the reunion) showed a conversation that some viewers read as playful, and others read as loaded, which is exactly why it became such a big deal.
She’s dating someone new
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And now for the palate cleanser we all deserve! Zanab has revealed she’s dating someone new, a guy named Zac, and the vibe is soft, hopeful, and a little long-distance brave.
In a caption on Instagram, she shared that she met Zac in Cabo in April two years ago while she was there for a wedding and he was there for work. They met in the pool, and she even joked that she “audibly laughed” when she found out he’s seven years younger than her.
The logistics aren’t exactly simple, though. She lives in Dallas, and he lives in Toronto. Still, she wrote that a month after meeting, he came to Dallas for the first time, and “the rest is our history.”
But what really makes her update hit is the message behind it. Zanab shared she was 34 when they met and basically told anyone feeling behind (in love, life, timelines, all of it): relax. You have time. You can meet someone “in the wild.” And they might show up younger, older, or just different than what you expected, and that’s okay!
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